


Muddled Devotion

by severallifetimesago



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Gen, M/M, Short Stories, angsty fluff, for the most part it's sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:21:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/severallifetimesago/pseuds/severallifetimesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of poems about Sherlock Holmes and company.</p><p>(when I say poems...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tethered

**Author's Note:**

> Little blurbs that happen when I cry.

The weight of memories  
is consuming and distracting.  
All data gathered is  
disregarded and ignored.  
Cognitive abilities  
are hampered by adoration,  
by unwavering trust  
and selfless, undeniable love.  
The warm hearth  
of a desolate palace,  
of cold fact and reason,  
ceaselessly burns.  
A mind unfocused and undone;  
still, unwilling to delete him.


	2. One Hundred Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and John in a hundred words. 
> 
> Gen or preslash, who knows? Take it as you will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are just little blurbs of one character describing the other in 100 words. The first section is John's POV, second is Sherlock's, and last is Lestrade's. 
> 
> Don't know what inspired these, I just really like writing with limits.
> 
> Written to Bon Iver's Beach Baby.

_John Watson: Sherlock Holmes in a hundred words?_

I ponder the words I can use to convey such profound loneliness. He is knowledge without heart, or so people say. I see a man made gaunt by intellectual overuse and withdrawal; a genius searching for fulfillment; a child seeking companionship. He is cold, distant reason, zeal and unbridled excitement - there is never a dull moment. He is sharp cheekbones and theatrics, edged with isolation and restlessness. I see the detective with the endlessly vast mind, the detached enigma. The man who saved me. When I look at Sherlock Holmes, I see more than his transport; I see his heart.

_Sherlock Holmes: John Watson in a hundred words?_

Doctor John Hamish Watson handles himself remarkably well under pressure and has an unhealthy desire for danger. He is in possession of years of medical experience and is in stellar physical condition. He is an outstandingly moral man, and has a large presence, despite his small stature. His name invokes the warmth of thick wool and a feeling of security. I am able to depend on his assistance even in the most dire of situations. But John is more than a mere soldier - he is solidity, determination, and constancy. He acts as my soul and my heart, my sole companion.

_Greg Lestrade: The consulting detective and his doctor in a hundred words?_

Sherlock solves crimes better with John. He's still a petulant child, but John's got him trained. How John deals with that man, I don't know. They're a dangerous pair. Those two idiots love each other more than I'll ever understand. 

Hell, looks like I don't need the full hundred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


	3. Quilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock struggles. John helps.

Sherlock's skin is a patchwork of failures, memories he's immortalized with the scrape of his fingernails or the fine edge of a sharp blade. At times, his mind is too cavernous to be utilized. He fixates on his growing loneliness and the inevitability of his eternal solitude.

It is times like these in which he craves release. Physical pain is a thrill, an experiment, and a habit. He desires its simplicity and distraction, its overwhelming sense of relief. It is a shift in focus and a punishment for his sins, past and present. Penance. 

Make no mistake, Sherlock Holmes finds no solace in a higher power. He exists in the physical realm, and acknowledges no spiritual one. He accepts explanations of science, reason, and fact.

Yet it is doubt in these beliefs that often leaves him shaking in the solitude of night. His quivering fear leads to cigarette burns on his palms and the presence of unwanted, incongruous thoughts. 

Enter John Watson.

It's not as though John's companionship completely eradicates all negative thought from his mind. His solidness, his strength, his unwavering trust, and his bravery keep the painful urge at bay. His confusing, contradictory personality allows Sherlock to remain occupied, and their strange compatibility leaves him speechless. 

Sherlock remains adrift, traveling through a sea of complexities and puzzles, but John acts as an anchor, providing him with temporary reprieve and preventing him from straying beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
